SHOP

According to USA Today:

Multiple people were killed and several more wounded when at least one gunman opened fire Monday at the Naval Sea Systems Command headquarters, authorities said.

The Navy said “several” people were killed at the Navy Yard. Ed Buclatin, the public affairs chief for the Navy Installations Command, tweeted “four killed and eight injured.” He also tweeted that reports of more than one shooter had not been confirmed.

A shooter had been “contained” in the building but was not in custody, according to a Defense Department official who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

A federal law enforcement official told USA TODAY that authorities have not ruled out the possibility of multiple shooters. The official who had been briefed on the matter said there were conflicting reports on the number of fatalities.

The first news broke with the Navy reporting on its Twitter feed that there was an “active shooter” at Building 197 at the Navy Yard, and that three shots had been fired at 8:20 a.m. ET. The Navy later reported deaths and injuries, but details remained fluid.

The White House released a statement: “The president has been briefed several times about the unfolding situation at the Washington Navy Yard by Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Lisa Monaco and Deputy Chief of Staff Alyssa Mastromonaco. The President directed his team to stay in touch with our federal partners, including the Navy and FBI, as well as the local officials. We urge citizens to listen to the authorities and follow directions from the first responders on site.”

James Killingsworth, a mason from Frederick, Md., was working on rebuilding a historic wall about 100 yards from the Navy Yard entrance when he heard two gunshots. If there were any other shots, he said, they were immediately drowned out by wailing sirens.

“Everything they had, Secret Service, federal police, everyone came speeding down the street. I’ve never seen so many police in my life, ” he said. “Scary morning.” Flights at nearby Washington Reagan National Airport were disrupted, with all departures temporarily halted at the airport.

According to Times:

At least four people in addition to the shooter were killed and at least eight were wounded in the rampage that began at approximately 8:20 a.m. at the Navy Yard, a huge complex of buildings located along Washington’s Anacostia River waterfront.

A federal law enforcement official monitoring the situation said the conflicting reports of more than one gunman are coming from a situation where a “second building” is being checked for reports of shots fired. The official said most of the shooting occurred at the Sea Systems Command building, and that tactical SWAT squads were now canvassing the second building.

“We won’t know what we have until we clear that other building,” said the source, who asked not to be identified because of the fluid situation.

Officials have ramped up security in all federal buildings in the Washington area. As a precaution, U.S. Capitol Police have added personnel and increased security measures in the Capitol Building.

As helicopters hovered above the base, first lowering stretchers to airlift victims to local hospitals and later circling the base in an apparent search effort, air traffic was briefly grounded at the nearby Reagan National Airport. Several area schools were put on lockdown.

Patricia Ward, a logistics management specialist, was in building 197 when the shooting started. She said she was in the lobby using the ATM machine when she heard three shots. She said she started “panicking.” She said she didn’t know what was going on. Then she heard four more shots. A security guard with a gun drawn told them to run, she said. “I just ran. I thought of my family and I just ran.” Someone had pulled the fire alarm.

Ward said that to get into the building, a person has to scan an ID card and put his or her bags through a metal detector. She added there is no metal detector for the body. She said that may be how the shooters got weapons in. A D.C. police officer and a base security officer were among the reported victims. About 3,000 people, both civilian and military, work at the Naval Sea Systems Command Headquarters. Navy Capt. Danny Hernandez said he was in an adjoining Navy Yard building when the shooting started.

“Everybody rushed in,” to the building where he was, and security guards locked down the facility.

“It was pretty orderly,” he said. Hernandez said in a cellphone conversation that the lockdown was still in effect.

A White House official reported that President Obama had been briefed on the situation.

“The President has been briefed several times about the unfolding situation at the Washington Navy Yard by Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Lisa Monaco and Deputy Chief of Staff Alyssa Mastromonaco,” the spokesman said.

“The president directed his team to stay in touch with our federal partners, including the Navy and FBI, as well as the local officials. We urge citizens to listen to the authorities and follow directions from the first responders on site.”